This invention relates to the tableting or compressing de-oiled phosphatides, more commonly known as granular lecithin, into a solid and cohesive form suitable for ingesting orally.
According to the Food Chemicals Codex, 3rd Edition, granular lecithin is referred to as a material where the preponderance of triglycerides and fatty acids are removed and the product contains 90% or more of phosphatides representing all or certain fractions of the total phosphatide complex. Major manufacturers of oil-free lecithin have agreed upon a 95% A.I., or acetone-insolubles minimum. To date, a high percentage granular lecithin tablet is yet to be commercially available.
Liquid and granular lecithins have long been recognized as a nutritional, dietary source of choline. This invention offers a viable alternative to the already available liquid-lecithin gelatin capsules, some of which contain up to 50% soybean oil. Commercially available granular lecithin tablets are known to contain high percentages of undesirable excipients and/or fillers, commonly used to aid in the tableting process or to create bulk for the active ingredient. In some instances, the lecithin is used as a base material for other active ingredients, i.e., vitamins and minerals--see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,082. The highest content of granular lecithin found in a dry-pressed tablet has been 42%.
Problems normally associated with the tableting of granular lecithin include poor flowability and stickiness. At this time, we have not determined what actually defines stickiness, however, we can measure its presence using physical characteristics analyses. Consequently, these inherent material characteristics can produce low weight tablets, sticking, and breakage of the tablets upon ejection from tableting press. These problems were alleviated simply by adding a substantial amount of excipient to improve the flow and release of the tablet. But this did not provide the desired high level concentration of lecithin. Attempts to reduce the amount of excipient produced varied results. Surprisingly, the instant invention effectively eliminates any substantial amount of tableting excipient or fillers by more strictly controlling the physical and compositional characteristics of the granular lecithin.